Photo by Austin DeSisto. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics
Maryland gymnastics traveled to University Park Saturday afternoon to face No. 17 Penn State. Following a shaky win over Washington last weekend, the Terps entered the meet focused on improving scores and cleaning up routines.
Controlling the lead through all four rotations, Penn State took the win with a final score of 197.250-196.675. Despite the loss, Maryland (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) greatly improved, particularly on the floor, keeping the Terps close with the Nittany Lions (3-0, 2-0 Big Ten) throughout the meet. The matchup marked the Terps’ first loss of the season, breaking a four-game winning streak.
Sophomore Sarah Saville kicked off the first rotation for the Terps on bars, earning a season-high 9.825. Her detailed routine paved the way for high scores from both sophomore Aine Reade (9.850) and junior Chelsey Dennis (9.825). Maryland’s bars rotation was noticeably smoother than in its previous meet, with stuck dismounts and clean transitions.
Penn State began on vault, with Ava Piedrahita scoring a 9.900. The Nittany Lions concluded the rotation with a 49.150, holding a 0.075-point advantage over the Terps.
In the second rotation, the Terps moved to vault, opening with a 9.775 from graduate student Josephine Kogler. Senior Taylor Rech led Maryland with a 9.850, the team’s highest score of the rotation.
Penn State remained strong throughout the second rotation on the bars. Ava Piedrahita earned a 9.900, while Dani Latronica followed with a score of 9.950 on the uneven bars, maintainingthe Nittany Lions’ lead.
The Terps finished the second rotation with a 98.050, trailing Penn State’s 98.600.
Maryland turned heads in the third rotation on the floor with near-perfect scores. Both Emily DeFrees and Kogler scored 9.900 with precise and powerful routines, while senior Maddie Komoroski and Reade’s 9.975 scores kept the competitive Terrapins in range of the Nittany Lions.
Both scores marked career highs for the pair and were Maryland’s highest scores since 2001. The Terps had never posted 9.975 twice on the floor at the same meet – a feat that powered Maryland’s highest floor score in program history (49.575).
Despite Maryland’s momentum on the floor, Penn State balanced the pressure of the beam well, led by Dani Latronica’s score of 9.875.
At the conclusion of the third rotation, Penn State protected its lead, 147.775-147.625.
The final rotation saw the Terps on the balance beam with the Nittany Lions on the floor. Kogler, competing in her third event of the meet, earned the highest score of 9.875 for the Terrapins.
Penn State executed as they had all meet, led by a team-high 9.975 from Alyssa Kramer. This performance clinched a Penn Statevictory, despite a season-high meet score and a pair of historic showings by Maryland.
The Terps will next travel to compete against Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 3 p.m., hoping to ride the momentum of a program-record floor score.
